Marriage Preparation

Congratulations on your engagement! Marriage is a beautiful vocation in which God gives a man and a woman the opportunity to make a total gift of themselves to the other. The staff in the Holy Cross Area Faith Community will assist you as you prepare to make these lifelong promises to each other and as you plan the wedding liturgy.

The Holy Cross Area Faith Community requires the following of couples who wish to be married: 1. Give at least six months’ notice of their intention to marry. 2. Meet first with Mrs. Julie Soehren and then the priest to begin marriage preparation. 3. Contact information julie.soehren@holycrossafc.org 507-354-4158 (Please note that you will not be able to reserve a wedding date until you have met in person with a priest and made a deposit for the use of the church.) 4. You will need your Baptismal certificates for both parties. The certificates must be less than 6 months old. 5. Register for two days of pre-marriage retreats. 6. Take the Pre-Marital Inventory. 7. Attend a Natural Family Planning (NFP) introductory presentation. 8. Register at the parish (even if you “grew up” as a member here). If you no longer live in the New Ulm area, then we expect you to register in a parish near the place you live. This should happen at least six months prior to the wedding so that we can take care of the necessary paperwork. 9. Obtain a Marriage License (discount after attending Marriage Prep). 10. Cost of the Use of the Church a. $250 for registered members of Cathedral & St. Mary’s parishes/$150 for registered members of St. John the Baptist, St. George/St Gregory. b. $500 if neither party is a member of the parish for one calendar year. c. This fee goes to the cost of providing the facility, heat, air conditioning, lights, etc. According to diocesan policy, this donation is given to the parish, not to the priest.

Knowing that marriage and the family constitute one of the most precious of human values, the Church wishes to speak and offer her help… In a particular way the Church addresses the young, who are beginning their journey towards marriage and family life, for the purpose of presenting them with new horizons, helping them to discover the beauty and grandeur of the vocation to love and the service of life. -Familiaris Consortio [On the Family], Pope John Paul II